Keynote Address:

Top National Security Threats to Watch in 2018

Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley, Jr. became the 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on 3 October 2017. He formerly served as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, where he was the senior advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff for all aspects of intelligence, counterintelligence and security.

He has commanded at the company, battalion, squadron, and brigade levels with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a squadron, brigade commander, and J-2. His commands include the 206th Military Intelligence Battalion, Fort Gordon, GA, Intelligence Squadron, Office of Military Support, Washington, DC, and the 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps.

Other key assignments include the Director of Intelligence, United States Army Joint Special Operations Command; the Director of Intelligence, United States Central Command; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, International Security Assistance Force and Director of Intelligence, United States Forces, Afghanistan; and Commanding General, the United States Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca, AZ.

Lieutenant General Ashley has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.

Key areas of his talk will include:

Examine what’s driving today’s threat landscape and what we can expect in 2018

What steps can—and must—be taken to counter the threats

How can government and the private sector come together to counter the threats